SESSIONS
SESSION I: RESEARCH ON RAILWAY HISTORY IN CATALONIA: LEARNING FROM THE PAST TO ENVISION THE FUTURE.
Alfonso Herranz and Jordi Martí (Coordinators).
There is a long tradition of research on the history of railways in Catalonia, among which Pere Pascual’s exhaustive analyses of the period prior to the Civil War stand out in particular. Building on this tradition, this session will present and discuss some recent contributions on the subject, focusing on the new questions and issues raised in recent years. We begin with the observation that, within the Spanish context, the history of the railway in Catalonia had its own distinct characteristics. Due to the presence of a powerful industrial sector and an abundance of capital, a large number of locally-initiated companies proliferated in Catalonia from the earliest days, although most of them operated short-distance lines. Consequently, there was a large number of stakeholders involved, who often clashed, leading to operational issues within the network that persist to this day. In a second phase, the existing companies were integrated into the major state-level enterprises, Nord and MZA, which inherited their assets along with their respective strategies for expansion across the region and into the cities. As a result of this trajectory, much of the network’s current layout and the location of its stations date back to the mid-19th century, and it is necessary to reflect on their adaptability to the needs of the 21st century.
Call for Papers >>
SESSION II: THE ERA OF PUBLIC RAILWAY OPERATION: AN INTERNATIONAL ASSESSMENT.
Miguel Muñoz and Pedro Pablo Ortúñez (Coordinators).
The turbulent interwar period marked the beginning, on an international scale, of a process to create public railway companies to carry out railway operations. Despite all the changes that have taken place over the last century, this situation has persisted. This session aims to assess the contribution of public railway companies to the societies and economies of those countries that have undergone this experience. The first objective is to study the causes that led to these changes, namely nationalization. Second, we aim to examine the history of these public enterprises: their organization, productive resources, productive activity, etc. Finally, we propose establishing a comparative framework with the private sector in order to discuss the scope of their contribution.
Call for Papers >>
SESSION III:CONSTRUCTION AND DEVELOPMENT OF RAILROADS AS INFRASTRUCTURE IN LATIN AMERICA: TERRITORIAL IMPACT AND THE SHAPING OF URBAN SPACES.
Ana Cardoso de Matos, Guillermo Guajardo, and Javier Vidal (Coordinators)
The implementation of the railway system has traditionally been analyzed as a transportation infrastructure with long-term impacts. In the case of Latin America, this session aims to bring together and share research that, while focusing on the construction and deployment of networks, does so in relation to the territorial and regional spaces in which they are embedded. Within these contexts, the system that has historically taken shape has stimulated the creation of railway hubs that have reorganized the territory. Consequently, regional economies in various countries have undergone transformations of various kinds. This session aims to highlight these changes and the demographic reorganization that the railroad brought about, influencing the stimulation of urbanization and the configuration of new logistics spaces.
Call for Papers >>
SESSION IV: RAILWAY HISTORY–URBAN HISTORY.
Luis Santos i Ganges and Doralice Sátyro Maia (Coordinators).
This session proposes to explore various topics related to the intersection of railway history and urban history, the historical relationship between urban systems and railway networks, the history of tram systems, the effects of railways on urban spaces, the urban planning requirements for railway operations in cities, industrial railway heritage (which is also urban heritage), and all aspects of railway history related to the city and the urban environment in the broadest sense, from stations to level crossings.
Call for Papers >>
SESSION V: THE RAILROAD AND THE SOCIAL QUESTION.
Ramón Molina de Déu and Francisco Polo Muriel (Coordinators).
This session covers everything related to working conditions, labor demands, social conflicts, the labor movement, etc. Given that most studies on the railway sector focus on economic aspects, it would be appropriate for one of the sections to be dedicated to the study of human aspects.
Call for Papers >>
SESSION VI. GENERAL.
José Luis Hernández Marco (Coordinator).
This session includes all paper proposals that address topics not covered in the previous sessions.
Paper proposals >>